Chapter - 18 Pines And Cypresses Grow On the Mount Wudang Peak (6)

Jueyuan recited: "…First use your heart to enable your body. Start from other people, do not start yourself. The back of your body can now start from the heart. Because you remain the same and people start first. Let your opponent attack first, and follow his movements. If he doesn't move, you don't move. If he moves a bit you move too.

Guo Xiang thought: "This is wrong, my parents always taught me that in a battle you have to strike first before being struck. Reverend Jueyuan is wrong here."

Guo Xiang was confused, she was always taught to strike first, be quicker than your opponent. And Jueyuan's theory was the opposite of what she learned and she thought: "In a fight you cannot really stand still and let your opponent be leading the fight."

Because of this confusion she missed a part. She saw that Zhang Junbao sat there listening carefully. Guo Xiang thought: "No matter whether he's wrong or right. This old monk was able to injure Xiao XiangZi and defeat He ZuDao, I saw this myself. So his martial arts theories must be good."

For both theories something can be said. You can't say that what Guo Jing taught Guo Xiang was wrong. It depends on the level and the user. Jiu Yang is NOT superior to Jiu Yin.

Jueyuan continued to recite and sometimes he would recite a piece from the Lankavatara sutra. [Jiu Yang Zhen Jing] was written inside the Lankavatara sutra. Jueyuan recited some parts in Indian causing Guo Xiang to be quite confused.

Fortunately, Guo Xiang was an very intelligent girl and still managed to memorize twenty-thirty percent of everything.

Jueyuan continued to recite, his voice became lower and unclear. Guo Xiang said: "Rest for awhile, you've been exhausted."

But Jueyuan continued to recite: "… Borrow your strength from your opponent, your "qi" must be drawn from your spine. How to draw "qi" from your spine? Your "qi" lowers, and bend your shoulders to the back concentrate on your waist. This "qi" will come from above and go down. Meaning the "qi" is unified. Unifying means taking in, opening means releasing. If you understand opening and unifying, you'll understand "ying" and "yang."

After reciting to this part, Jueyuan's voice softly ended and it seemed he fell into a deep sleep.

It was becoming dawn, Jueyuan was still sleeping and he had a smile on his face.

Zhang Junbao raised his head and saw a grey shadow appearing from the tree. This shadow wore a yellow kasaya. He was startled and said: "Who's there?"

A tall, skinny, old monk appeared, it was the head of the LuoHan Hall reverend WuSe.

Guo Xiang was startled and happy to see him and said: "Why do keep pursuing them? Must you really capture them and bring them back to ShaoLin?"

WuSe said: "I know the difference between right and wrong. If I'm really an upholder of ancient rules and traditions I would have captured them last night and wouldn't wait till now. Brother Jueyuan, brother WuXiang is leading the disciples of the DaMo Hall to the east. Quickly, go to the west!" Jueyuan was still sitting and had his eyes closed.

Zhang Junbao walked up and said: "Master wake up. The elder of the LuoHan Hall is talking to you."

Jueyuan was still sitting there, Zhang Junbao became frightened and touched his face. Jueyuan was cold, he passed away some time ago. Zhang Junbao was devastated and cried: "Master, master!"

But Jueyuan will never wake up again.

WuSe put his palms together and recited a Buddhist scripture and left.

Zhang Junbao was crying, and Guo Xiang was crying too. When the monks of ShaoLin die, it was a custom to cremate them. So Guo Xiang and Zhang Junbao collected some wood and cremated Jueyuan's body.

Guo Xiang spoke to Zhang Junbao: "Brother Zhang, the ShaoLin monks will not easily let you off. You must be very careful. Our paths will now part, I hope to see again in the future."

Zhang Junbao was still crying and asked: "Miss Guo, where will you be going? Where shall I go?"

Guo Xiang felt sad after hearing his question: "I shall travel to the ends of the world if I have to. I, myself do not know where I'm going. Brother Zhang, you're still young and don't have any experience in WuLin matters. Furthermore, the ShaoLin monks are still looking for you."

She removed a golden bracelet from her wrist and gave it to Zhang Junbao and said: "Take this bracelet and go to XiangYang to see my parents. They will treat you warmly. And if you're with my parents, those ShaoLin monks will think twice before trying to capture you."

Zhang Junbao was in tears and took the bracelet. Guo Xiang said: "Tell my parents that I'm alright and tell them not to worry.

My father likes heroic youngsters, if he sees that you're such a talented man he'll probably accept you as his pupil. My younger brother is a friendly, honest person, you will like him. But my older sister has a bad-temper, she'll scold anyone for the slightest matter and doesn't consider the feelings of other people. Just try to put up with her."

After saying that she left.

Zhang Junbao stood there and felt very lonely and thought, although the world was big there was no place for him to stay.

He stood in front of Jueyuan's ashes for a very long time and then started walking away. After walking for a few metres he went back and carried his teacher's iron buckets away. In the middle of nowhere, this young, skinny man walks lonely to the west, ever so sad and lonesome.

After walking half a day, he reached the borders of the HeBei province. The city of XiangYang was not far from here and the ShaoLin monks were not be seen. This was due to reverend WuSe, he told the monks that Zhang Junbao was seen in the east so all the monks went to the east to look for him. So the farther Zhang Junbao traveled to the west, the bigger the distance he put between himself and his pursuers.

This afternoon, he reached a tall mountain. It was very green and luxuriant, the forest was thick. And the mountain looked very majestic, on inquiry, this mountain was called Wudang.

Zhang Junbao rested on a rock nearby and saw a man and a woman walking by. They seemed to be local farmers, the two looked ever so intimate and it seemed that they were just newly-weds. The wife was murmuring something and she seemed to be scolding her husband. The husband lowered his head and didn't make a sound.

The wife said: "You're a grown man, why can't you support your own family? Why go to sister and brother-in-law? That scene was humiliating enough, wasn't it? We have hands and feet, we can support ourselves, even if we have to eat simple food. Just as long as we're happy and carefree."

The husband just nodded and hmmd.

The wife continued: "Besides death, there is nothing we should worry about. Do we really have to rely on others?"

The husband didn't dare to say anything back, his face was swelling up.

The words of the wife were getting through to Zhang Junbao and he thought that she was right. He stared at their backs and thought those words over and over again. Suddenly he saw the husband standing up straight and saying something. Both husband and wife laughed heartily, it seemed that the husband realised that he must take care of himself instead of relying on other people.

Zhang Junbao thought: "Miss Guo said her older sister was very bad-tempered and often scolded other people for no particular reason. She also told me to just put up with her. I'm a grown man, why should I put up with that kind of attitude. If that husband and wife cling on to their self-respect, so should I, Zhang Junbao. Why do I have to put up with anyone's bad-temper?"